05-30-2019, 05:20 PM
Good to hear from you again Mr. Sharpco and great timing for your post! Don't know if the problem is the steel but it could play in to the equation. We've recently had two complaints from straight razor users here with exactly the same problem. Don't know what sharpening angle was used in your case but the angle used in our customer's case was 7 degrees. When the measurement was conducted successfully with these customers the edge sharpness was around 15. That's an incredibly small amount of force being applied to the edge but in some cases, apparently enough to fold and then dent the edge.
This is not a question of edge sharpness but rather one of edge stability. The sharper the edge the less force required to sever the test media. Sharper edges should make the edge less prone to folding because less force is used during the test. The scientific community measures equally sharp microtome edges every day with BESS test media with no problem. Tailmotor registers 10's with his straight razors and has done so, to our knowledge, without difficulty. We do remember though that KG sharpened a knife at 10 or eleven degrees and dented the edge during testing.
BESS test media is constructed of a blend of polymers and requires less force to sever than most sewing threads. If an edge won't cut thread without failing, what good is it? We'll tell you what it might be good for - shaving. This could be a case of "you can't get there from here". At BESS 10-15 you are already running out of scale. If the edge is so structurally weak that 15 or 20 grams of force causes it to fold, it just might be non-testable with our instrument.
Somehow Feather mass produces DE razor blades in the BESS 20 - 30 range that never dent during testing. We would be very interested, if you continue to experiment with this straight edge, in finding out what works and what doesn't. With an edge that is sub BESS 30 you only have to touch the edge to the test media before it severs. Just the weight of the razor itself should be more than enough to sever the test media assuming the edge doesn't fold over in the process.
How much is 10 grams of force? You can blow hard on the platform of a PT50A or B and get a reading of 10 grams.
This is not a question of edge sharpness but rather one of edge stability. The sharper the edge the less force required to sever the test media. Sharper edges should make the edge less prone to folding because less force is used during the test. The scientific community measures equally sharp microtome edges every day with BESS test media with no problem. Tailmotor registers 10's with his straight razors and has done so, to our knowledge, without difficulty. We do remember though that KG sharpened a knife at 10 or eleven degrees and dented the edge during testing.
BESS test media is constructed of a blend of polymers and requires less force to sever than most sewing threads. If an edge won't cut thread without failing, what good is it? We'll tell you what it might be good for - shaving. This could be a case of "you can't get there from here". At BESS 10-15 you are already running out of scale. If the edge is so structurally weak that 15 or 20 grams of force causes it to fold, it just might be non-testable with our instrument.
Somehow Feather mass produces DE razor blades in the BESS 20 - 30 range that never dent during testing. We would be very interested, if you continue to experiment with this straight edge, in finding out what works and what doesn't. With an edge that is sub BESS 30 you only have to touch the edge to the test media before it severs. Just the weight of the razor itself should be more than enough to sever the test media assuming the edge doesn't fold over in the process.
How much is 10 grams of force? You can blow hard on the platform of a PT50A or B and get a reading of 10 grams.